Main Content

[Headlines]

[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And Henry County authorities are still searching for the suspect wanted in connection with a triple shooting.
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

Temperatures will soar about 15 degrees ABOVE normal this afternoon, with daytime highs topping out at near 80.
We'll also be watching some moisture rolling in by this evening...with thunderstorms possible for the western sections of the region.
[ANCHOR=Steve]
(ad lib live tease)
[2-shot]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

[Kosovo]

Good Morning, I'm Melanie Moon.
Another wave of NATO attacks overnight against Serbia.
The targets of the air strikes are Yugoslav police and army units in the hills of Kosovo.
These units are blamed for the worst violence against ethnic Albanians.
Bobbi Harley has the latest from Washington.
[Live=Bobbi Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=01-Bobbi Harley/Reporting;]
[SUPER=05-Washington DC;]
( ad lib)
[***ROLLED FROM NEWSPATH****]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-James Rubin/State Department Spokesman;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=back to you.]

[Live=Bobbi Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=05-Washington DC;]
( ad lib)
(( AS NATO BOMBS CONTINUE TO DROP IN YUGOSLAVIA, HOPES ARE RISING FOR
THE THREE AMERICAN SOLDIERS BEING HELD CAPTIVE BY THE SERBS.
A MEDIATOR FROM CYPRUS IS EXPECTED TO FLY TO BELGRADE TODAY.. TO
DISCUSS THE SOLDIERS' POSSIBLE RELEASE.
HE SAYS IT'S LIKELY A DEAL WILL BE REACHED.
((track))
MEANTIME.. NATO FORCES HAMMERED SERB TARGETS FOR ANOTHER NIGHT-- IN A
MISSION THAT'S SHOWING NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN.
ACCORDING TO YUGOSLAV REPORTS, MISSILES STRUCK AN ARMY BUILDING IN
THE HEART OF BELGRADE.. AS WELL AS SITES IN SMALLER TOWNS:
((track))
MORE THAN 400-THOUSAND ETHNIC ALBANIANS HAVE ALREADY ESCAPED THE
RAVAGES OF THEIR HOMELAND...
BUT NOT ALL HAVE BEEN SO LUCKY.
THE YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT HAS CLOSED ITS MAIN BORDER CROSSINGS...
AND IS ORDERING FLEEING KOSOVARS TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMES.
IT'S NOW FEARED THEY WILL BE USED AS HUMAN SHIELDS.
THERE'S ALSO CONCERN FOR SOME 35-THOUSAND REFUGEES WHO WERE QUICKLY
SWEPT AWAY FROM A CAMP IN NEIGHBORING MACEDONIA--
MANY OF THEIR WHEREABOUTS ARE UNKNOWN.
U-S OFFICIALS SAY ATROCITIES AGAINST THE ETHNIC ALBANIANS WILL NOT
GO UNPUNISHED...
AND THEY'VE BEGUN NAMING NAMES OF HIGH-RANKING SERB COMMANDERS
SUSPECTED OF CARRYING OUT THE ATTACKS:
((SOT: JAMES RUBIN/STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN))

"We are naming the commanders as a warning to them that the world is watching and that the war crimes tribunal is there and we're going to assist them in this process."))

[Murder-Folo]

They say he's armed and dangerous.
Authorities in Henry County are still looking for Michael Ramey.
As Scott Goldberg reports ...
Ramey is the prime suspect in a robbery and multiple shooting that left one woman dead and two others injured.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Cars lined up]
[SUPER=03-Axton; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sylvia Hairston/Ramey's Neighbor; :47]
[SUPER=@Scott1; 1:01]
[RUNS=1:17]
[OUT Q=SG,N7,HENRY COUNTY.]
(( Cars lined up outside Susan Hylton's home Wednesday evening.
Friends and family remembering the wife and mother who was gunned down at the convenience store where she worked.
Her husband, a member of the Axton rescue squad, was one of the first at the crime scene.
He saw his 38-year-old wife's body, a bullet in the back of her head.
It happened late Tuesday night.
Police say 35-year-old Michael Anthony Ramey was arguing with his girlfriend, Dale Wilson Cobb.
She also works at Taylor's Little Grocery.
The argument moved inside, where Ramey allegedly told Cobb, Susan Hylton and a third co-worker to lie face down.
Police say he shot all three, robbed the store and ran.
Ramey and Cobb live together at this Martinsville apartment complex.
Neighbor Sylvia Hairston said they moved in a few months ago.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=it was]
((SYLVIA HAIRSTON: IT WAS SHOCKING. IT WAS REALLY SHOCKING BECAUSE THEY SEEMED TO BE GOOD NEIGHBORS. THEY REALLY DID.
THE SPOKE COMING OUT OF THE APARTMENTS. NO ARGUING OR ANYTHING. WE THOUGHT EVERYTHING WOULD BE ALL RIGHT.))
[RUNS13]
[OUT Q=ALL RIGHT]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=RAMEY'S GIRLFRIEND]
((SCOTT GOLDBERG: RAMEY'S GIRLFRIEND COBB IS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL, SURVIVING A GUNSHOT WOUND TO THE SHOULDER. THE THIRD WOMAN, PAMELA RISALINI WAS TREATED AND REALEASED AND RELATIVES SAY SHE'S DOING FINE. IF AUTHORITIES CATCH RAMEY, THEY'LL CHARGE HIM WITH NINE FELONIES, ONE OF THEM IS CAPITAL MURDER. SCOTT GOLDBERG, NEWS-7, HENRY COUNTY.))
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=HENRY COUNTY]))
(---------------)

[E-Bedford-Arrest]

Bedford County authorities have nabbed another alleged pedophile with the help of the Internet.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Police say 30-year- old Edward Earl Hargon traveled from Harrisonburg yesterday to meet what he thought was going to be a 13-year old boy.
[SUPER=03-Bedford Co.]

He'd actually been communicating with an undercover officer.
Sheriff Mike Brown says his department targets "travelers" like Hargon because they pose the most risk to children.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 5:28:45]
[IN Q=They're more]
((MIKE BROWN/BEDFORD CO. SHERIFF: THEY'RE MORE DANGEROUS, STATISTICS TELL US THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE PRONE TO VIOLENCE, A NUMBER OF INSTANCES OF VIOLENCE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE TRAVELERS.))
[SUPER=01-Mike Brown/Bedford Co. Sheriff; :00]
[RUNS=16]
[OUT Q=with these travelers.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Brown says Hargon will probably be charged with attempted solicitation of a juvenile.
(------------)

[Big-game]

There's still no word on the identity of the lucky winner or winners of the nation's second biggest lottery Jackpot.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Boston, MA;]
[4:13:45]
The 197 million big game ticket was purchased at a supermarket in Boston, right near Fenway park.
For it's part in the in the blockbuster sale, the store will get 50-thousand dollars from the Big game.
(///SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((LINDA MARINO/ASSISTANT STORE MANAGER "WE HAVEN'T SOLD A WINNING TICKET IN 13 YEARS. THIS WAS OUR LUCKY DAY, ACTUALLY. IT'S NICE TO KNOW. A LOT OF EXCITEMENT HERE.))
[SUPER=01-Linda Marino/Assistant Store Manager;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=a lot of excitement here.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The winner could choose to receive a one-time lump sum payment of 70 million after taxes or 5 point one million for 26 years.
(------------)

[E-Local-Game]

[ANCHOR=Kimberly]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ssi]
[TAPE#=98-83 2:02:31]
[GRAPHIC=Big Game]
One of the second-place winners wasted no time claiming her earnings.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]
Barbara Dowling of Roanoke won 150-thousand dollars in the Big Game lottery.
And for the woman who's out-of-work on disability, it was a great surprise.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=I says yeah]
((BARBARA DOWLING: I SAYS YEAH IT FINALLY TURNED FOR US. ESPECIALLY FOR ME. I'VE BEEN DOWN ALL THE TIME AND STUFF LIKE THAT. AND LIKE I SAY, I'VE NEVER WON ANYTHING, AND I'M VERY HAPPY.))
[SUPER=01-Barbara Dowling/Lotto winner]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=and I'm very happy.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
Dowling spent just two-dollars on the lotto.
She plays the lottery so seldom, she thought she had only won a free ticket.
But the clerk at the Crystal Springs 7-11 told her she had actually won 150-thousand.
Dowling will receive 102-thousand dollars after taxes.
She plans to buy a new pair of glasses and a big-screen TV. . . so she can watch her favorite sports.
(------------)

[Health-Check]

In medical news, there's new information about genetics and birth defects.
Mika Brzezinski has that story and more in this morning's Health check.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Mika Brzezinski/Reporting; :00 ]
[RUNS=1:13]
[OUT Q=CBS News, New York.]
(( IMPORTANT NEWS OUT TODAY CONCERNING MOTHERS AND THEIR CHILDREN.
A STUDY FINDS THAT WOMEN BORN WITH BIRTH DEFECTS HAVE A HIGHER RISK
OF PASSING ON THOSE SAME DEFECTS TO THEIR KIDS.
NORWAY RESEARCHERS LOOKED AT MORE THAN 8-THOUSAND WOMEN BORN WITH
DEFECTS.. SUCH AS CLEFT LIPS, DEFORMED LIMBS, AND IRREGULAR HEARTS.
THEY FOUND THE CHANCES OF THESE WOMEN HAVING A CHILD WITH THE SAME
DEFECTS.. WERE 60-PERCENT GREATER THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION.
BUT DOCTORS SAW NO INCREASED RISK OF THESE WOMEN HAVING CHILDREN
WITH BIRTH DEFECTS DIFFERENT THAN THEIR OWN.//
ONCAM
((oncam))
AND A NEW REPORT SHOWS THAT EVEN IN THE STRONGEST NATION IN THE
WORLD-- HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN ARE STILL SUFFERING... BECAUSE
OF A LACK OF ADEQUATE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
Graphic.C1S=

THE STUDY ESTIMATES THAT 120-THOUSAND CHILDREN IN THE U-S ARE
ANEMIC.. BECAUSE THEIR FAMILIES CANNOT AFFORD TO FEED THEM DUE TO HIGH
RENTS.
Graphic.C1S=

IT ALSO SAYS 10-THOUSAND CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 4 AND 9 ARE
HOSPITALIZED FOR ASTHMA ATTACKS EACH YEAR... BECAUSE OF COCKROACH
INFESTATIONS IN THEIR HOMES.
ONCAM
((oncam))
THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION SAYS THE ASTHMA NUMBERS ARE HARD TO
CONFIRM.. SINCE THE CONDITION IS BROUGHT ON BY A NUMBER OF CAUSES.
AND THAT IS A LOOK AT TODAY'S MEDICAL NEWS.
I'M MIKA BRZEZINSKI, CBS NEWS, NEW YORK.))
(ad lib to weather)

Here's a look at today's top stories.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Serbia is apparently having second thoughts about releasing those three captured U-S soldiers.
This comes after a night of NATO air strikes in a heavily populated area of Belgrade.
A source tells the A-P the strikes upset the Serb government enough to cause a delay.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kim]

The police search for the suspect responsible for a robbery and triple shooting in Henry County continues this morning.
Authorties say Michael Ramey shot three women at a convenience store, took some cash and then ran.
One women died, the two other victims suffered only minor injuries.
Officials say it all began as an argument between Ramey and his girlfriend.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And the mother of one of the two girls switched at birth at the U-V-A Medical Center is trying to adopt she has been raising since she brought her home from the hospital in 19-95.
Paula Johnson has filed papers stating her intention to formally adopt Callie Conley.
Her lawyer also says she will seek custody of her biological daughter, Rebecca Chittum.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]

And that's what's making news on this Thursday April 8th.
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

News 7 Mornin' will be right back.

[2-Murder-Folo]

In Henry County this morning, the manhunt continues for Michael Ramey.
He's the prime suspect in a robbery and multiple shooting that left one woman dead and two others injured.
As Scott Goldberg reports, authorities describe him as armed and dangerous.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Cars lined up]
[SUPER=03-Axton; :00]
[SUPER=01-Sylvia Hairston/Ramey's Neighbor; :47]
[SUPER=@Scott1; 1:01]
[RUNS=1:17]
[OUT Q=SG,N7,HENRY COUNTY.]
(( Cars lined up outside Susan Hylton's home Wednesday evening.
Friends and family remembering the wife and mother who was gunned down at the convenience store where she worked.
Her husband, a member of the Axton rescue squad, was one of the first at the crime scene.
He saw his 38-year-old wife's body, a bullet in the back of her head.
It happened late Tuesday night.
Police say 35-year-old Michael Anthony Ramey was arguing with his girlfriend, Dale Wilson Cobb.
She also works at Taylor's Little Grocery.
The argument moved inside, where Ramey allegedly told Cobb, Susan Hylton and a third co-worker to lie face down.
Police say he shot all three, robbed the store and ran.
Ramey and Cobb live together at this Martinsville apartment complex.
Neighbor Sylvia Hairston said they moved in a few months ago.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=it was]
((SYLVIA HAIRSTON: IT WAS SHOCKING. IT WAS REALLY SHOCKING BECAUSE THEY SEEMED TO BE GOOD NEIGHBORS. THEY REALLY DID.
THE SPOKE COMING OUT OF THE APARTMENTS. NO ARGUING OR ANYTHING. WE THOUGHT EVERYTHING WOULD BE ALL RIGHT.))
[RUNS13]
[OUT Q=ALL RIGHT]
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=RAMEY'S GIRLFRIEND]
((SCOTT GOLDBERG: RAMEY'S GIRLFRIEND COBB IS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL, SURVIVING A GUNSHOT WOUND TO THE SHOULDER. THE THIRD WOMAN, PAMELA RISALINI WAS TREATED AND REALEASED AND RELATIVES SAY SHE'S DOING FINE. IF AUTHORITIES CATCH RAMEY, THEY'LL CHARGE HIM WITH NINE FELONIES, ONE OF THEM IS CAPITAL MURDER. SCOTT GOLDBERG, NEWS-7, HENRY COUNTY.))
[RUNS=]
[OUT Q=HENRY COUNTY]))
(---------------)

[Holt]

Police have confirmed that a body found in Henry County Sunday is that of Richard Charles Holt, Senior.
But they have not found his killer.
The State Forensic lab identified the body yesterday and determined he died from a gunshot wound.
Eight days ago a neighbor heard shots from Holt's home, then saw his 1986 burgundy, Chrysler Fifth Avenue drive away.
The vehicle is still missing.

[Martin]

A young man says his mother's statement to a jury was not true-- she's charged with plotting to kill her husband.

Tina Tenret has more.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=Prosecutors say 48-year-old]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co.; :00]
[SUPER=01-Dorothea Martin/Defendant; :24]
[SUPER=@Tina1; :53]
[RUNS=1:01]
[OUT Q=Tina Tenret News7 Botetourt County]
(( Prosecutors say 48-year-old Dorothea Martin helped her lover Thomas Gray arranged a murder for hire.
Gray tried to hire a hitman from jail to kill Martin's husband.
So an undercover police officer posed as the hitman and told Martin he was about to kill her husband.
She told him not to do it -- but never called 9-1-1 or her husband.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 16:53:35]
[IN Q=When Sam came home]
((WHEN SAM CAME HOME I ASKED HIM IF HE'D SEEN HIS DAD AND HE SAID YEAH I JUST GOT THROUGH TALKING TO HIM. SO I KNEW JIM WAS OKAY.))
[RUNS= :08]
[OUT Q=Jim was okay]

But her son told attorneys they never discussed his father that night.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:29:16]
[IN Q=DID YOU SPEAK]
((DID YOU SPEAK TO YOUR MOTHER WHEN YOU CAME IN? YES. DID YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR FATHER JIM MARTIN? NO.))
[RUNS= :05]
[OUT Q=NO]

Prosecutors say Martin even sent Gray 450-dollars to pay the hitman -- she says it was for his taxes and house payment.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 17:12:07]
[IN Q=All the witnesses]
((ALL THE WITNESSES HAVE NOW BEEN CALLED -- THE JURY IS EXPECTED TO REACH A DECISION TODAY. TINA TENRET NEWS7 BOTETOURT COUNTY.))
[RUNS= :08]
[OUT Q=Tina Tenret News7 Botetourt County]))

[2-kosovo]

Serb leaders this morning apparently are having second thoughts about releasing the three American soldiers.
A source says overnight NATO air strikes upset the Serb government enough tocause a delay.
The former president of Cyprus is waiting to go to Belgrade in the hopes of winning their release.
Bobbi Harley has the latest news from Washington.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-James Rubin/State Department Spokesman; 1:23]
[SUPER=01-Bobbi Harley/Reporting; 1:34]
[RUNS=1:48]
[OUT Q=CBS NEWS Capitol Hill]
(( AS NATO BOMBS CONTINUE TO DROP IN YUGOSLAVIA, HOPES ARE RISING FOR THE THREE AMERICAN SOLDIERS BEING HELD CAPTIVE BY THE SERBS.
A MEDIATOR FROM CYPRUS IS EXPECTED TO FLY TO BELGRADE TODAY.. TO DISCUSS THE SOLDIERS' POSSIBLE RELEASE.
HE SAYS IT'S LIKELY A DEAL WILL BE REACHED.
((track))
MEANTIME.. NATO FORCES HAMMERED SERB TARGETS FOR ANOTHER NIGHT-- IN A
MISSION THAT'S SHOWING NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN.
ACCORDING TO YUGOSLAV REPORTS, MISSILES STRUCK AN ARMY BUILDING IN THE HEART OF BELGRADE.. AS WELL AS SITES IN SMALLER TOWNS:
((track))
MORE THAN 400-THOUSAND ETHNIC ALBANIANS HAVE ALREADY ESCAPED THE RAVAGES OF THEIR HOMELAND...
BUT NOT ALL HAVE BEEN SO LUCKY.
THE YUGOSLAV GOVERNMENT HAS CLOSED ITS MAIN BORDER CROSSINGS... AND IS ORDERING FLEEING KOSOVARS TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMES.
IT'S NOW FEARED THEY WILL BE USED AS HUMAN SHIELDS.
THERE'S ALSO CONCERN FOR SOME 35-THOUSAND REFUGEES WHO WERE QUICKLY
SWEPT AWAY FROM A CAMP IN NEIGHBORING MACEDONIA-- MANY OF THEIR WHEREABOUTS ARE UNKNOWN.
U-S OFFICIALS SAY ATROCITIES AGAINST THE ETHNIC ALBANIANS WILL NOT GO UNPUNISHED...
AND THEY'VE BEGUN NAMING NAMES OF HIGH-RANKING SERB COMMANDERS SUSPECTED OF CARRYING OUT THE ATTACKS:
((SOT: JAMES RUBIN/STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN))

"We are naming the commanders as a warning to them that the world is watching and that the war crimes tribunal is there and we're going to assist them in this process."))

[S-Switched-Babies]

One of the "switched at birth" babies may be officially adopted.
(-------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Buena Vista/Monday]

Paula Johnson has filed papers stating her intention to formally adopt Callie Conley.
Johnson's lawyer has already indicated she will also seek custody of her biological child ... Rebecca Chittum.
The two girls were switched at the U-V-A Medical center in 19-95.
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]

Carlton Conley-- Johnson's former boyfriend and the biological father of Rebecca-- says he doesn't agree with Paula Johnson's decision.
Conley says Rebecca has a good home in with the parents of the couple she was sent home with in 1995 and he thinks she should remain there.
He also says he approves of a two million-dollar settlement reached between the state and the families raising Rebecca.

[E-Veto-Session]

Virginia lawmakers flexed a little muscle yesterday-- reminding Governor Jim Gilmore the limits of his power.
Ellen Qualls has highlights of the annual veto session.
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=It's decades]
[SUPER=03-Blacksburg; :00]
[SUPER=03-Richmond; :17]
[SUPER=@Cranwell; :29]
[SUPER=@Gilmore; :53 ]
[SUPER=@Putney; 1:07]
[SUPER=@Ellen2; 1:25 ]
[SUPER=01-Sen. Patsy Ticer/(D) Alexandria; 1:37]
[RUNS=2:03]
[OUT Q=Qualls, News 7, Richmond.]
(( It's decades old and a key part of Virginia Tech's agriculture program.
So lawmakers overwhelmingly said no to the Governor and yes to the Tech dairy barn renovation.
Governor Jim Gilmore had vetoed the funding to help pay for a campaign promise of more school teachers.
Gilmore did prevail on another issue close to the heart of southwest Virginians: his veto of 200-thousand dollars in surplus contingency funds for Bedford's D-Day Memorial survived a passionate attack.
[sot 07:39:25 ]
((CRANWELL: IF WE...IT'S HAD.))
[runs :23]
[SOT 12:00:52 ]
((GILMORE: CONTINGENCY MEANS... BUSINESS THIS WAY.))
[RUNS :11]
The Capitol's only independent disagrees with the principle.
[SOT 07:28:02]
((PUTNEY: YOU SUPPORTED...BUENA VISTA.))
[RUNS :08]
67 votes were needed to override the Governor.
[NAT SOT VOTE 07:50:10]
[RUNS :06]
On another issue, the Governor stood against school boards and administrators, and with rural teens who hunt, amending a bill to guarantee they can take their guns to school, as long as they're locked inside cars.
Urban lawmakers were horrified.
[SOT 11:06:12 ]
((TICER: ANY LOCK... INTERNET.))
[RUNS :08]
[SOT 12:00:17]
((GILMORE: IT STILL REQUIRES...RURAL CITIZENS.))
[RUNS :11]
In the end, the House stripped the Governor's wording off the bill.
But he gets the last word... and that word might be veto.
Ellen Qualls, News 7, Richmond.))

Now here's another look at today's top local stories:
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Henry County deputies are still searching for the man who they say shot three people, then robbed this convenience store in the Axton area.
One of the victims died, the other two are out of the hospital.
35-year old Michael Allen Ramey is considered armed and dangerous.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[ANCHOR=Kimberly]